New name and logo reflect organization's expanded mission

San Francisco, CA, October 16, 2001 The San Francisco School of Circus Arts, an internationally recognized training school for circus, has changed its name to Circus Center to reflect the expanded mission of the organization, its Board of Directors announced today. The school was founded in 1984 by the Pickle Family Circus to provide circus classes for children in the community. Today, Circus Center is comprised of a school that offers recreational and professional training for both children and adult students. It is unique among America's circus conservatories in having its own professional circus troupe.

Last year's purchase of The New Pickle Circus was the first of several significant moves that the school initiated with the goal of creating a national training center for the circus arts. "With our purchase of the New Pickle Circus, the SFSCA became more than a circus school. We now provide training for students from around the world and opportunities for the best of them to perform in a professional circus that has a long history here in the Bay Area. Our new name, Circus Center, reflects both the training and performance elements of our mission," said Circus Center executive director Patrick Osbon.

In addition to being one of only a handful of circus organizations in the world that offer both training and performance with a professional company, the school boasts the country's only professional clown training program which was founded in January of this year. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Clown Conservatory is already drawing students from other countries and provides them with intensive training that includes guest lectures by many of the great stage clowns who started their careers with the Pickle Family Circus. As part of their training, clown students are required to perform in nursing homes, hospitals, at senior citizen meal sites and at agencies serving disenfranchised populations.

Community service has always been an important part of the organization's mission. Two new programs, funded by local foundations, were inaugurated this year, one for at-risk youth and the other for women who have experienced violence. Both programs are designed to help participants develop self discipline, and to learn self esteem, self confidence and trust in others.

The next major step in Circus Center's continuing development is the establishment of a professional training program. "This two-year, full-time program for professional performers will be the only one of its kind in the United States and will ultimately draw students from around the world, just as the professional clown program is now doing. It will also be unique within the world-wide circus community in that we are planning to offer comprehensive training in both Chinese acrobatics and Russian acrobatics," said Osbon. In May, the organization received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to develop the curriculum for the professional training program, which will be launched in 2002.

The new name, Circus Center, and tagline, San Francisco, as well as a complete visual identity, including symbol, signing, and promotional materials, is being developed by Studio Moon. Owned by Principal and Creative Director Tracy Moon, Studio Moon is an award-winning visual identity firm located in San Francisco. For more information about Studio Moon visit their web site at http://www.studiomoon.com.

Circus Center is a grantee the National Endowment for the Arts, San Francisco's Grants for the Arts program of the Hotel Tax Fund, the San Francisco Foundation, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Louis R. Lurie Foundation, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and many local foundations. Circus Center is located at 755 Frederick Street in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco. For more information about Circus Center's schedule and programs, call 415/759-8123 or visit Circus Center's web site at circuscenter.org.

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